Floatable electrical connector assembly

Abstract

A floatable electrical connector assembly comprises a fixed housing ( 10 ) defining a front receiving frame ( 112 ) having an edge section ( 113 ). A movable housing ( 20 ) is discretely and movably attached to the fixed housing ( 10 ) in an up-to-down direction and adapted to be rested on the edge section of the receiving frame. One of the movable housing and the fixed housing defines a mating bar ( 217 ) while the other one of the movable housing and the fixed housing has a receiving slot ( 119 ) defining an enclosed boundary for receipt of the mating bar so as to permit the movable housing stably movable relative to the fixed housing in the up-to-down direction.

1. A floatable electrical connector assembly, comprising:
 a fixed housing made of an insulative material, the fixed housing defining a front receiving frame, the receiving frame having an edge section; 
 a movable housing, made of an insulative material, discretely and movably attached to the fixed housing in an up-to-down direction and adapted to rest on said edge section of the receiving frame, the movable housing defining an interior mating face and a back wall; 
 a plurality of contact terminals assembled to the movable housing, each of the contact terminals having an engaging section exposed on said mating face, a solder tail exposed out of said back wall, and an S-shaped flexible connecting section extending horizontal from said engaging section at one end and extending vertical from said solder tail at the other end; and wherein 
 one of the movable housing and the fixed housing defines a mating bar adjacent said back wall, and the other one of the movable housing and the fixed housing has a receiving slot defining an enclosed boundary for receiving the mating bar so as to allow the movable housing to be movable relative to the fixed housing in said up-to-down direction through cooperation of the mating bar and the receiving slot; 
 the movable housing has an outer frame border in cooperation with an inner frame boarder of said receiving frame so as to permit the movable housing to be slide within the receiving frame of the fixed housing in a predetermined width in the back-to-forth direction and movable relative to the fixed housing in a predetermined height in the up-to-down direction. 
 
     
     
       2. The floatable electrical connector assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the movable housing has a mating cavity and a plurality of terminal receiving passageways in communication with the mating cavity. 
     
     
       3. The floatable electrical connector assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the movable housing having said receiving slot adjacent said back wall, the movable housing divided into a long section and a short section by a partition wall, said receiving slot essentially aligned with said partition wall. 
     
     
       4. The floatable electrical connector assembly as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein said receiving frame of the fixed housing is defined by a pair of sidewalls and a bottom wall extending fully between said pair of sidewalls and with no top wall upon said receiving frame, said mating bar extending from said bottom wall of the receiving frame. 
     
     
       5. The floatable electrical connector assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fixed housing has a front face and a top face proximate to each other, said receiving slot on said top face, said receiving frame on a lower section of said front face, said receiving slot in communication with said receiving frame on said lower section of said front face but not on an upper section of said front face. 
     
     
       6. The floatable electrical connector assembly as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the fixed housing has three of said receiving slots each having an enclosed boundary. 
     
     
       7. The floatable electrical connector assembly as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the receiving slot has a boundary opening to an exterior. 
     
     
       8. The floatable electrical connector assembly as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the movable housing has a pair of positioning posts on opposite outmost sides, each post defining an outmost edge and an inner edge on a corresponding outmost side of the movable housing, said mating bar extending between said opposite inner edges of said pair of positioning posts. 
     
     
       9. The floatable electrical connector assembly as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the receiving frame has a height defined by an upper edge and a bottom edge of the receiving frame, said height sized to permit the movable housing movable in said up-to-down direction relative to the fixed housing. 
     
     
       10. A floatable electrical connector assembly, comprising:
 an insulative fixed housing having a front receiving frame, the receiving frame defined by a pair of sidewalls and a bottom wall extending fully between the pair of sidewalls; 
 an insulative movable housing discretely and movably attached to the fixed housing in an up-to-down direction and adapted to rest on said edge section of the receiving frame, the movable housing defining an interior mating face and a back wall; 
 a plurality of contact terminals assembled to the movable housing, each of the contact terminals having an engaging section exposed on said mating face, a solder tail exposed out of said back wall, and an S-shaped flexible extending horizontal from said engaging section at one end and extending vertical from said solder tail at the other end; and wherein 
 the fixed housing has a mating bar extending from the bottom wall of the receiving frame, and the movable housing has a receiving slot for receiving the mating bar so as to allow the movable housing to be movable relative to the fixed housing in said up-to-down direction through cooperation of the mating bar and the receiving slot; 
 the movable housing has an outer frame border in cooperation with an inner frame boarder of said receiving frame so as to permit the movable housing to be slide within the receiving frame of the fixed housing in a predetermined width in the back-to-forth direction and movable relative to the fixed housing in a predetermined height in the up-to-down direction. 
 
     
     
       11. The floatable electrical connector assembly as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the receiving slot has an enclosed boundary. 
     
     
       12. The floatable electrical connector as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the receiving slot has a boundary opening to an exterior. 
     
     
       13. The floatable electrical connector assembly as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the movable housing has a mating cavity and a plurality of terminal receiving passageways in communication with the mating cavity. 
     
     
       14. The floatable electrical connector assembly as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the movable housing is divided into a long section and a short section by a partition wall. 
     
     
       15. A floatable electrical connector assembly comprising:
 a fixed rear insulative housing defining a plurality of upward slots; 
 a moveable front insulative housing defining a mating port; 
 a plurality of contacts assembled to the movable housing, each of the contacts having an engaging section exposed on said mating face, a solder tail exposed out of said back wall, and an S-shaped flexible connecting section extending horizontal from said engaging section at one end and extending vertical from said solder tail at the other end to compensate relative movement between the front housing and the rear housing in both vertical and transverse directions which are perpendicular to each other; and 
 the movable front housing has an outer frame border in cooperation with an inner frame boarder of a receiving frame of the fixed rear housing so as to permit the movable front housing to be slide within the receiving frame of the fixed rear housing in a predetermined width in the back-to-forth direction and movable relative to the fixed housing in a predetermined height in the up-to-down direction; 
 inter-engagement devices formed on both said front housing and said rear housing for allowing limited relative movement between the front housing and the rear housing in both said vertical direction and said transverse direction while essentially without a front-to-back direction perpendicular to both said vertical direction and said transverse direction. 
 
     
     
       16. The floatable electrical connector assembly as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein said interengagement devices include a groove and a protrusion loosely complementary with each other. 
     
     
       17. The floatable electrical connector assembly as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein at least one of said front housing and said rear housing defines a cutout opposite to said interengagement devices so as to allow said front housing and said rear housing to be assembled with each other in the vertical direction and have said interengagement device coupled to each other. 
     
     
       18. The floatable electrical connector assembly as claimed in  claim 17 , wherein said cutout defines a narrow opening so as to restrain the relative movement between the front housing and the rear housing in said vertical direction without risks of disengagement from each other. 
     
     
       19. The floatable electrical connector assembly as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein said interengagement devices are formed on upper portions of both said front housing and said rear housing.